THE NEWSLETTER Woodbury Lutheran Church Newsletter September 2016

FMSC MobilePack Is Back! After a successful Woodbury city-wide Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) MobilePack last year, FMSC is returning to Woodbury Lutheran this September! Once again we will be serving alongside FMSC to attack childhood hunger by packing more 250,000 meals in just 16 hours.

On September 22nd, 23rd and 24th, you, along with 1,000 of your friends, neighbors and fellow church members, will have the opportunity to participate in a FMSC MobilePack event to be held at our Valley Creek campus. Adults and children will measure and scoop ingredients, seal bags and prepare boxes for shipping. For those who can not stand for two hours – you can serve by labeling the bags that are used. Children as young as five can also help as long as they are with their parents. If you are a leader of an organization that would like to participate (Scouts, etc.) then the minimum age is third grade. For more information on adult to student ratio for groups, please contact Liz Thompson (651-262-9665).

FMSC is a Christian nonprofit organization committed to feeding God’s starving chil-dren hungry in body and spirit. The approach is simple: children and adults hand-pack meals, MannaPackTM Rice, formulated specifically for malnourished children. Organi-zations in nearly 70 countries around the world distribute these meals to children in greatest need. FMSC is able to spend more than 90% of total donations directly on feeding children because of its thousands of volunteers.

120 individuals are needed at each of the eight, 2-hour shifts, while 10 adults are need-ed to help set-up on September 22nd and clean-up on September 24th. You can regis-ter yourself, your family and friends and/or your organization via the link on WLC’s home page. The available shifts are:

Thursday, September 22nd

Set-up: 3-5 pm (note we are not packing at this time)

Packing: 6-8 pm

September 22-24, 2016—Valley Creek Campus

Friday, September 23rd

Packing: 12-2 pm, 2:30-4:30 pm

and 5:30-7:30 pm

Saturday, September 24th

Packing: 9-11 am, 12-2 pm, 2:30-4:30 pm and 5:30-7:30 pm

Clean-up: 7:30-9:30 pm

A couple of items to note once you have completed your registration:

Please arrive 15-minutes prior to the start of your shift for registra-tion and training;

Please wear closed-toed shoes (no sandals or flip-flops)

Please leave your jewelry at home

While we will be helping FMSC in their mission, we will also be ful-filling several of the goals of our church including broadening our church’s understanding and prac-tice of generosity and modeling Christ’s love by meeting the basic needs of others. And we will be having fun! If you have questions, need more information or need help with registering, please con-tact Liz Thompson at 651-262-9665.

In This Issue

Falling Forward

Firsts and Lasts

Robin’s Nest

Liberty Ridge

WLC Missionary Focus

NYG Recap

Prayer Ride

“Fall”ing Forward

“God, what do You want to do through me to accom-

plish Your plans for Woodbury Lutheran Church?”

Three years ago we start-

ed to pray that prayer to-

gether as a congregation

and as individuals. Over

the last three years God

has answered our prayers

in some pretty amazing ways! Throughout the fall we are going to be

celebrating, reflecting and looking ahead by giving thanks for how God

has used Greater to bring life to our vision of Multiplying Disciples //

Transforming Lives.

The weekend following Labor Day

we will be spending 5 weekends in

a series called iBelieve. This se-

ries will take us deeper into the

ancient confession of faith known

as the Apostles Creed. A Creed is

essentially a simple summary of

beliefs and the Apostles Creed

captures our beliefs as disciples of Jesus in a very precise and helpful

way. In an ever changing world, it is essential for us to know what we

believe, because our of beliefs are meant to translate into action.

Unless you live under a rock then you know a Presidential election is

upon us. This election season has the potential to distract us from the

truth that our hope is found in Jesus Christ alone. So the question for

Fall Ministry at WLC

disciples

of Jesus is

how can

we faithful-

ly walk the

road

where faith and politics inter-

sect? How should we inter-

act with the government,

what role do we play in the

kingdom of this world, how

do we treat those with differ-

ent opinions? We will be at-

tempting to answer some of

these questions in a two

week series called, Thy King-

dom Come.

I hope to see you in worship

this fall as we continue to

walk the Discipleship Path

together, learning, growing,

challenging and encouraging

one another along the way.

Peace,

Pastor Tom

Weddings: Brenda Peterson & Jason Sirovy

Lori Costello & Steve Johnson

Megan Brant & Nathan Howard

Tayha Jacobson & Nicholas

Christianson

Karlee Mills & Brian Pitt

Baptisms: Carson Cashlin Loeffler

Kaylee Ann Bierdeman

Arsen Akishev

Lucy Marie Morrison

Eleanor Grace Morrison

Hartley Elizabeth Painter

Hann Jo Arndt

Deaths: Lynette Mahlke ~ mother, Marjorie

Mike & Lin Peterson ~ sister, Pat

Lisa Ginn ~ father, Wilbert

Lois Starks ~ mother, Delphine

Jenny Andersen ~ daughter,

Emersyn

Service Times

at WLC: Sundays at Valley Creek:

Sanctuary, Blended 8 & 11am Sanctuary, Contemporary 9:30am

Genesis, Contemporary 11am

Saturdays at Valley Creek:

Contemporary, 5pm

Sundays at Oak Hill:

Blended 9:00am Contemporary10:30am

Office & Mailing Address:

7380 Afton Road

Woodbury, MN 55125

Office Hours:

Mon. – Thurs.: 9am–4pm

Friday: 9am–3pm

Phone: (651) 739-5144

Fax: (651) 739-3536

Website: www.woodburylutheran.org

Firsts and Lasts Can you believe summer is almost over? Excitement is in the air as Wood-

bury Lutheran Preschool staff gears up for the beginning

of the new school year. Very soon our preschool hall-

way will be alive with the chatter and laughter of well

over one hundred little voices. What fun it is to welcome

children back after the summer months and see how

much they have changed. This will be the very first

school experience for many of the children who will soon

march through our classroom doors. We are thrilled to welcome them and

their parents into our WLP family. As we begin this new year of early learn-

ing, I pray the children enter their classrooms for the first time to find the love

of Christ awaiting in the kindness, patience, comfort and joy of their teachers.

And as always, I am eager to see how God will work in their hearts and lives

in the preschool year ahead. It is a wondrous thing to watch them learn and

grow!

Firsts are very important in the lives of these little ones and I’ve been privi-

leged to be part of a great many of them. But for some of us, lasts hold sig-

nificance, as well. This fall marks the beginning of

my 23rd

year as director of Woodbury Lutheran

Preschool and it will be the last. The Word tells

us, in Ecclesiastes 3:1, “there is a time for every-

thing and a season for every activity under heav-

en”. At the end of this school year, it will be time

for me to step down. I am daily thankful for the

blessing of a career that has brought tremendous joy by allowing me to be

part of the lives of those very dear to my heart – young children and families.

God is faithful and good. Trusting He will continue to provide exactly what is

needed for this wonderful ministry and looking forward in the future to finding

new and different ways to serve Him.

With gratitude for His blessings,

Dorothy Blaisdell

Robin’s Nest Children Home,

Jamaica In mid-August, a team of 10 individuals representing Woodbury Lu-

theran Church spent a week on site at Robin's Nest Children's

Home in Jamaica. Robin's Nest, with its extraordinary views of

God's creation from on top of Salter's Hill, is located inland from

Montego Bay. It is a Christian-based and privately run facility with

capacity for 35 children, and is supported by two on-site directors

from the USA and 35 staff from the surrounding area.

At the direction of Robin's Nest leaders, our focus this year

was helping prepare for the upcoming school year along with

cleaning, organizing and painting an on-site visitor apartment

located in the basement of Jake’s House. Part of our school

prep work included stuffing backpacks with all of the school

supplies that were donated by the WLC congregation! We

were also privileged to lead the Sunday worship service and

spend time helping care for and playing with the children.

Several members of our team were up extra early around

5:00 am to assist the pod moms with getting the many babies

ready for their day!

It was an honor being the hands and feet of Jesus in Jamai-

ca! Although struggles do absolutely exist, it is very clear that

God is alive and moving among the children and staff at Rob-

in's Nest. Each member of our team will forever be changed

by the time spent at this special place in God’s kingdom.

Nurses Wolfe & Gordon with boys

Thanks to everyone who

supported our team through

prayer and donations of

supplies. If you would like

more information on our trip,

please see our team blog

on

www.woodburylutheran.org.

You can also find out more

information about Robin’s

Nest at

www.robinsnestchildrensho

me.org.

The Robin's Nest Short-

Term Mission Team

Where is God Preparing to Send Me? It's a question that we might not ask all the time. We get into a pattern with our jobs, our families, our worship and

the concept of God sending us somewhere seems foreign or strange. Yet, it is a question that we should be asking

ourselves as disciples of Jesus. We see examples of this throughout Scripture. In Isaiah 6:8, God is calling, "Whom

shall I send? And who will go for us?" In Matthew 28:18-19 the resurrected Jesus looks at his disciples and says, "All

authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples..." God wants to and is pre-

paring to send you somewhere.

At Woodbury Lutheran, we often summarize that concept in the words, "What is your next step?" For some of you,

the next step is serving regularly. For others of you, it might mean having a conversation with your neighbor and

inviting him or her to church. And for some of you, God is calling you to help launch the Liberty Ridge campus.

I realize that many of you have called either the Valley Creek or Oak Hill campus home for many years. It's where

you worship. It's where you have friendships. It's a key part of your life. Thus, it may be easier to say "I don't want to

go to a new campus because I like where I am." But as disciples of Jesus, we're not challenged to say, "I like where I

am." We're challenged to ask, "What next step is God calling me to?" During this next month, I want to challenge

you to ask yourself, "Where is God preparing to send me?"--and before you answer that question, pray about it for a

couple weeks. You may be surprised where God is calling you.

A number of months ago, after much prayer, we felt like God was leading us to launch the Liberty Ridge campus in

February of 2017, and we firmly believed that God would provide 125 adults (plus children) to help launch the new

campus. 30 adults have signed up so far, and that is fantastic! There's still 95 to go. Is God preparing to send you to

the Liberty Ridge campus? For at least 95 more of you, he is. But the best part is that when God calls you to some-

thing, it opens you up a new reality and new experiences. Just think--God can use you to help reach unreached peo-

ple with his amazing Gospel. And who wouldn't want to be a part of something like that?

Is God sending you to the Liberty Ridge campus? Think about it. Pray about it. And feel free to talk to me along the

way. God is going to do awesome things through the Liberty Ridge campus, and I don't want you to miss out on the

journey.

Peace,

Pastor Jon

Phillips Neighborhood Mission

Summary True discipleship comes from experiencing the love of Christ and the desire to

share it with others. On July 17, sixteen faithful followers of Jesus (Phillip’s

Mission Team 2016) met at 5 PM at WLC and were prayed over. The follow-

ing highlights how God enabled us to do the great work of His kingdom: loving

others as He loves us.

July 18-20 we welcomed 60 - 70 children each day for Summer Bridge to

Success (SBS); this year’s theme was “My Faith Awakens. The children

arrived with excitement, gathering in the sanctuary for singing and to learn

more and more about Jesus. On July 20, about 60 children were bused to

the Target Center to watch the MN Lynx team play the Atlanta Dream

team. The children were well behaved, but it was quite a challenge for our

team to be in charge of so many children.

On July 19, we worked from 5 – 7 PM at “Open Arms” which is a state-of-the-

art kitchen where nutritious meals are provided to people suffering from chron-

ic illnesses. Our duty that night was to chop vegetables and meat, which

would be prepared the next day by chefs and packaged individually for deliv-

ery. Volunteers cook and deliver the meals to roughly 1,000 clients each

week in the Twin Cities.

July 20, Mark Koschmann (former WLC Vicar), joined us for enchiladas that

evening and taught a course on racism and religion. In light of the current

racial unrest, it was a powerful topic and reminded us to look at these issues

through Jesus’ eyes instead of judging.

July 21, we visited the World Mission Prayer League and enjoyed learning

that there are 120 missionaries serving in 21 different countries. We were giv-

en a tour of the grounds and the buildings which were lovely. We gathered

for prayer and prayed over those missionaries serving abroad. That evening,

Trinity First, Minneapolis

our team walked the streets and

invited strangers to a pot luck

dinner at First Trinity where we

shared our faith and what it

means to be a follower of Je-

sus.

On July 22 we did volunteer

work at Community Emergency

Service which is a food

shelf. We estimate there were

400 people who received

food. That evening our group

completed a paver patio, which

was used for the first time the

next day, Saturday, July 23,

when we fed approximately 100

people.

In the evening of July 23, we

shared a meal with the Ethiopian

Congregation where we enjoyed

a pot roast and ethnic Ethiopian

food. Pastor Demalish led the

worship with praising God in

singing, prayer and reading of

His word. Sunday morning,

Pastor John led the worship ser-

vice at Trinity and it was fol-

lowed by a pancake break-

fast. It was pure joy to see that

many of the folks who attended

our pot luck dinner on Saturday

were there to worship with us.

We rejoice in the gifts God had

given each of us. What an

amazing talented group of serv-

ants we had on our team. They

hung 56 “cubbies” complete with

hooks for hanging jackets and a

place for the children to store

their backpacks.

Women of the Word Starts September 21, Valley Creek Campus, Fireside

Room, Wednesdays 9:15-11:15 am, Childcare is

limited—registration is required for childcare

Registration forms are available in the office and at the Welcome

Center on Sunday Mornings. Class registration is not required.

Choose from the following classes:

The Armor of God by Pricilla Shrier;

Embracing God’s Grace by Elizabeth George;

Jesus the One and Only by Beth Moore,

Joseph: Beyond the Coat of Many Colors and Missional

Motherhood by Gloria Furman;

Missional Motherhood is for moms of young children

Call Mary Lehman at 651-739-5144x201 if you have any questions.

WLC Finances 2016 has been a mixed year so far in

terms of our financial position. Gen-

eral Fund contributions are ahead of

last year by $154,279. We have been

blessed with more gifts than last year and that increase is in gifts of

all sizes. 2016 contributions are $1,707,435 and 2015 contributions

were $1,553,156.

GREATER gifts are down in 2016 compared to last year by

$47,000. Total to date in 2016 are $142,485 and in 2015 they were

$189,350.

We THANK YOU for your continued generosity!

Reformation

Tour 2017 Pastor Dean and Susie Nadasdy will

host a 500th Anniversary Reformation

Tour of Germany September 22-

October 3, 2017. Nadasdy serves as President of the Minnesota

South District of the LCMS. The trip will include visits to the historic

Reformation sites as well as the German and Austrian Alps. Presi-

dent Nadasdy, a former parish pastor and seminary professor, will

provide brief Bible studies and lectures on Reformation themes. For

more information, brochure, and registration form, contact the

Nadasdy’s at dean.nadasdy@mnsdistrict.org.

Thank YOU for being an

integral part of the Operation

Grace MN team.

Because of YOU the clinic at Woodbury

Lutheran-Valley Creek Campus was a success.

Over $3500 worth of oral

health care was provided

for 9 patients!

Total care included: 10 appointments

3 cleanings

9 exams

11 restorations

6 patients received radiographs

almost 20 hours of time donated by

dental professionals

We will return on

September 9th.

NYG Recap If you’ve been to a LCMS National Youth Gathering before, you know it’s one of those

experiences that you can’t fully put into words. However it’s also one of those experi-

ences that you can’t stop talking about! So I’ll do my best to give a brief recap of our

trip this summer, knowing it will fall well short of capturing it all.

The gathering was held in New Orleans this July, and was attended by 25,000 other

LCMS high school youth and adult leaders. We added 37 youth and 9 adult leaders to

that number and were so encouraged to be surrounded by such a great cloud of wit-

nesses!

The theme for the week was “In Christ Alone” based out of a study on Philippians, and

we experienced that theme in many ways. We participated in daily Bible study with a

group of 3,500 other people. We listened to top notch presenters speak truth into chal-

lenging, teen-specific topics. We served in a variety of powerful and meaningful ways.

And we belted out praises to God in the Superdome, 25,000 believers strong. With that

many believers gathered in one place it was truly a little glimpse of heaven, and it was

a powerful reminder that “Christ Alone” holds our true identity, redemption, and pur-

pose.

We also had an enormous amount of fun along the way, and made memories that will

last for a lifetime. We met new friends from all over the US, ate amazing food, danced

to Zydeco music at Mulate’s restaurant, and even got to hold live alligators! It truly was

an amazing experience and as I reflect on it now I’m reminded of just how little of the

experience I’m capable of conveying…

I think the best way to get the real pulse of what the NYG is all about is to find a youth

who went and ask them to tell you about their experience. They likely won’t be able to

convey the experience any clearer than I have here, but pay attention to the look in

their eyes, and the way they perk up when you ask them. They’ll probably fumble for

the words as I have here, but their body language will be the dead giveaway that God

did something special during that week. Something that they (and 25,000 others) will

remember until the day we sing praises with an even greater cloud of witnesses, in an

even greater Superdome!! Thanks for supporting our youth and for making this trip

possible! ~ Patrick Brewer

Taken from the September HomeFront Monthly Magazine

September 2016 Calendar

Highlights

Want more events?

Visit myWLC.org and click on

Calendar

Valley Creek Campus (V)

7380 Afton Road

Woodbury, MN 55125

Oak Hill Campus (O)

9050 60th Street North

Stillwater, MN 55082

Liberty Ridge Campus (L)

11395 Eagle View Blvd.

Woodbury, MN 55129

St. Croix Campus (S)

Afton, MN 55001

(651) 739-5144

Visit us on the web at

www.woodburylutheran.org

(V & O) Offices Closed Monday, All Day

Labor Day Holiday

(V) Cancer Companions

Tuesday, 7:00pm

Contact: Vicki Strong, 651-730-5049

(V) Church Mouse Choir Wednesdays, 5:30pm

Contact: Barb Koch, 651-459-5169

(V) Open Doors Thursdays

Thursday, 5:00pm

Contact: Pastor Tim, 651-739-5144

(V) Career Transition Connection Thursday, 7:00pm

Contact: Tom Colosimo, 612-386-3715

(V) Celebrate Recovery

Thursdays, 6:30pm

Contact: Larry Smith, 651-308-9113

(V) Middle School Nerf Wars

Friday, 6:30pm

Contact: Lindsey Schmidt, 651-739-

5144

(V) Baptism Class

Saturday, 9:30am

Contact: Rachel Symmank,

651-730-0847

(V) Women’s Gathering Group

Mondays, 12:00pm

Contact: Tamara Karlstrand,

651-734-3974

(V) Gambler’s Anonymous Mondays, 7:00pm

Contact: Pastor Tim, 651-739-5144

(O) Wednesday Morning Study

Wednesdays, 10:00am

Contact: Pastor Derek, 651-739-5144

(V) Healing Service Sunday, 12:00pm

Contact: Pastor Tim, 651-739-5144

(V) Feed My Starving Children

MobilePack Thursday-Saturday

Contact: Liz Thompson, 651-262-9665

Woodbury Lutheran Church

7380 Afton Road

Woodbury, MN 55125

Multiplying Disciples :: Transforming Lives

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